Surgical splint



Sept. 28, 1937. l c. H. WATT SURGICAL SPLINT Filed Allg. 27, 1935 2 sheets-snaai,y 1 l @3,43 laadt/24,411, Y Gum/wu sept 2s, 1937. C, H-[WATT 2,094,510

. SURGICAL SPLINT Filed Aug. 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 28, 1937 "PATENT OFFICE i SURGICAL sPLlN'r Charles H. Watt, Thomasville, Ga. Y

Application August 27, 1936, Serial No. 98,175

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in surgical splintssuch as are usedV for the reduction of fractures of the femur and pelvic bones of the human body, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

The immobilizer disclosed herein forms a portion of the splint assembly, the other portion of the splint assembly consisting of a tractor which forms the subject of a separate invention embodied in a co-pending application, Serial No. 97,835, filed Aug. 25, 1936. y

An object of the invention is to provide an immobilizer, in a splint, which is simple in construction and which on account of its simplicity can be made at a relatively low cost and-sold at a low price.

v A further object is to provide a splint, including an immobilizer, which while holding the limbs in rigid position is light in weight and can beused without inconvenience tothe patient.

A further object of the invention is to provide an immobilizer in which provision is made for ythe rotation of thelimb when desired. 1

A still further object is to provide an immobilizer which is adjustable to various positions and which may be rigidly secured in its adjusted position. j l

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specication and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. A

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which: Y I Figure 1 is a perspective view showing theap- Vplication of the splint as a whole, including the tractor and immobilizer,

Figure 2 is aV perspective view of the tractor,

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the ap-.

plication of the immobilizer to the patient,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the iml 45 mobilizer, Y

parts in theirseparated relative positions, and Figure 7 is a section along the line 'I-'I of Figure 5.

Since the tractor and immobilizer are used together a description of both will give a better understanding of the useof either.

Referring particularly torFigure 2 I have shown therein the tractor as stated. It includes curved vleg-engaging membersV I and 2, respec- (ci. 12s-s4) tively, which are preferably made of light metal such as aluminum, and formedV to fit the curve of the leg. Each of these members is provided with laterally extending end flanges as shown atla and 2a so vas to secure a rm hold in the plaster, as hereinafter described. The leg-engaging member I has secured toit a flat bar 3 which is bent at right angles at 4, as shown in the drawings. The member 2 is secured by means ofv a short flat bar 5 to a sleeve 6 which is adjustable on the bar 4 and which may be secured in adjusted position by set screws 'I. l

Near the bend 4 of the flat bar 3 is 'an L- shaped swivel member 8 which is pivotally mounted at 9 and which is provided with an opening ID (see Fig. 3). Arranged to extend through the opening 8 is a rod II, having a fork I2 at one end, which is pivotally connected at I3 with a lever I4. A spring I5 bears on the swivel 8 atrone end, and on a winged nut I6 on thethreaded end IIa, of the rod II.

The lever I4 is mounted on a xed'pivot pin II carried by the bar 4 andrisV preferably provided with upper and lower bosses I8. A cotterv pin I9 passes kthrough the pivot pin I'I so as to permit the removal of the lever if desired. Thus the tractor maybe'adapted for either the right or left leg by removing the lever I4 from the pivot and turning it over, if necessary. VThe end of the lever I4, is bent, as shown in the drawings, and is providedwith openings 20 through which a connecting member, such as a hook 2 I, may be secured. The'device just described constitutes one feature of the invention in the present instance. VIt maybe used in connection with any suitable means which can be attached to the leg of the patient.

In the drawings I have shown a device disclosed in the patent to Ettinger, 1,967,471. This Vdevice consists of a wire or pin 22 which is passed through the lower end of the fractured femur and which has wire gripping and stretching mechanism 23 and a head 24 to which the hook 2| of the tractor maybe attached.

The immobilizer portion of the splint is shown in Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive. Referring particularly y to Fig. 5 it will be seen that there is a long arm 25 having Vat one end a fork provided with pintle bearings 25m. The arm 25may be extended by a slidable portion 26 which is provided with a slot 21 through which a bolt 28 carried by the arm 25 may extend. A nut 29 is provided for securing the slidable portion 26 at the desired position. One end of the member 26 is T-shaped. One lateral portion ofthe T is bent at right angles to underlie the bar 25, as shown at 30. The other laterally extending portion of the T is bent over the opposite edge of the bar and extends for a short distance along the side of the bar as shown at 3I. The end of the arm member 26 is provided with a central pintle bearing 32 which fits in between the forked bearings 33 of a yoke 34. The latter bears a curved leg-engaging portion 35 and a portion 36 which is integral therewith and which is adapted to lie parallel to the leg` of the patient.

A short arm portion 31 has a central pintle bearing 38 arranged to enter between spaced' pintle bearings 39a of a plate 39 (see` Fig. 6). This plate 39 in turn is designed to enter between the pintle bearings 25al of the arm portion 25=so that when the pintle is inserted therein through the aligned bearings the arms 25 and 31 will both 'f be hinged to the plate 39 along the same axis. The plate 39 is provided with an opening through which a`bolt4Il` is passed. rIhe latter extends through a'slot 4I in a quadrant 42 and the latter bearsa curved leg-engaging member43 and an integral leg-engaging member 44 adapted to extend parallel with the leg.

The arm 31 has an extension portion 45 which is slotted as atv 46 to receive a bolt 41 carried by the arm 31 and provided-'with a winged nut 4B to hold the extension Yin adjusted position. This extension has a sleeve 49 at one end which encircles the arm 31. YThe extension has a central pintle bearing 5I! arranged to align with the pintle bearings 5I. The latter are secured to a curved leg portion 52 having a lateral extension 53, as shown in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description of the parts of the splint assembly the operation thereof may be readily understood.

Assuming that Athe femur is fractured, a wire, like 'that shown at 22 in Fig. l, is put through the lower endof the fractured femur and a light plaster-of-Paris cast is applied to the Well leg, i. e., the left'leg shown inFig. 1. This cast extends Well above the knee, with the leg straight,

and going down incorporating the foot as in other ordinary types of-Well leg splints. The sole of y the foot, aswell as the malleoli, are well padded,

. as is'the knee, and'over the inner side of the head ofthe tibia. A light plaster-ofeParis cast, well padded overthedorsurn of the foot and both mal- "leoli, is. thenl applied to the foot and lower part oftheinjured leg.

j Having applied these casts the part ofthe splint assembly, described asV the immobilizer, is applied, as shown in Fig. 4. In this figure it will be noted that the Asplint portions 43 and 44 are placed in position and each secured by a few turns ,OfplaSterf-Of-'Paris ,just above the. inner malleolus of thefractured leg. The opposite end of theextendedbar, having the members 52 and 53 is applied to the well leg of patientand is se- Acuredby. a few `turns of ,plaster-of-Paris to the leg just vabove the inner malleolus. The length of the. shorter arm may be adjusted to suit the case and theldesired separation of the feet. Rotation of the'injured leg is accomplished by lmeans ,of thequadrant 42. Thelonger arm, composed of the arm members 25 and 25 is now secured to the sound leg below the knee joint by a few turns of` plasterfof-Paris. It will be observed that the portion 36 points toward the foot instead of toward the knee, as do the members 44and 53 at the ends of the short arm.

applying plaster-ofParis'for securing the T-shaped bands one must be careful not to interfere with the free movements of the hinges. Plenty room is allowed on the bands to secure them firmly without incorporating the hinges. When the limbs of the patient are in the proper position and the immobilizer has been applied the thumb nuts are tightened.

The tractor is now applied to the cast of the sound leg by adjusting the members I and 2 (see Fig. 2) to the size of the leg. The members I and 2 are then secured in position by a few turns of plaster-of-Paris; The set screwsv 1 may Well hold the members I and 2 at definite positions apart f when they are tightened, although the binding of these members with the plaster-of-Paris will After the tractor has been attached, the nut I 6 is run out to the end of the threaded portion I I a andthisallows the short end of the lever to approach the connecting means between the wire 22 and the lever. Thus the head 24 of the Ettinger device, above mentioned, may be secured to the short end of the lever by the hook 2 I.

The nut l29 on the long arm of the immobiliser is now loosened and removed so as to permit the separation of the arm members 25 and 26 so as to prevent friction. The wing nut I6 is now turned so as to exert tension on the lever I4 and this will pull on the fractured leg.

It will be noted that by placing the fulcrum of the lever I4 near the end of the bar 4 two important results are accomplished. One is the gain in power which the leverage affords, but equally important is the fact that with the fulcrum so placed there is not the pressure exerted in the hip of the VWell leg as there would be if the fulcrum were farther over toward the well leg.

When satisfactory reduction has been attained, the members 25 and 26 of the diagonal bar are connected up again, the plaster around the tractor on the sound leg is cut away, the Ettinger connection is released, the wire 22 removed, and the roughness of thecast left by the removal of the tractor is smoothed over by a few turns of plasterof-Paris. The'immobilizer now holds the limbs in proper position, no other 'cumbersome apparatus being necessary.

I claim:

1. In a surgical splint, an immobilizer comprising a short arm, a long arm, a plate having a leg-engaging member secured thereto, means for hingedly connecting together said arms and said plate -to pivot on a common axis, and leg-engaging member mounted on one end of each arm, so that said arms are movable independently of each other and the last-mentioned leg-engaging Y members are adapted to be attached to various an extensible long arm, a plate having a leg-engaging member, means movable in a vertical plane for adjustably securing said leg-engaging member to said plate, means for hinging said short arm, saidV long arm and said plate to move about a common vertical axis,and a leg-engaging mem? ber pivotally mounted on one end of each arm, said arms being movable independently of each other for variously positioning the last-mentioned leg-engaging members on the well leg.

3. In a surgical splint, an extensible short arm, an extensible long arm, a plate having an opening, a, threadedconnecting member disposed in said opening, a quadrant having a curved slot arranged to receive said connecting member, a nut onk said connecting member for adjustably scour-V475 lil ing said quadrant to said plate, a leg-engagingV sitions, pivoted leg-engaging members secured at one end of each of said arms, a plate having an opening, a threaded bolt arranged to pass through said opening, a quadrant having a curved slot arranged to receive said bolt, a nut for securing said quadrant in adjusted positions along the slot, a leg-engaging member carried by said quadrant, and means for hinging said short arm and said iong'arm to said plate to move about a common vertical axis.

CHARLES H. WA'I'I. 

